02/24/2022

Advance care planning in long-term care, structured approach needed

On the Honoring Wishes Task Force’s monthly call, Doctoral candidate Alicia Angelo of the Ohio State University College of Nursing presented findings from her research on advance care planning outcomes, barriers and facilitators. The benefits of advance care planning (ACP) to individuals, their families, and clinicians are well cited in the literature; however, ACP for long-term care residents is frequently insufficient or absent.  This presentation described a DNP project that uses evidence-based strategies to implement a structured ACP program for long-term care residents. 

Among other findings was that only half of nursing facility residents attending a Town Hall intervention thought that they needed advance care planning. To view this recording, click here.

The Honoring Wishes Task Force is a statewide network of health professionals, stakeholder associations, attorneys, emergency responders and consumers whose focus is improving communication and documentation of healthcare preferences. Its monthly networking meeting is held on the final Wednesday of each month, and open to all at no charge. To receive updates about upcoming calls, email Susan Wallace at swallace@leadingageohio.org. 

Next month’s networking call on Wednesday, March 23 at 8:00AM and will feature Dr. Susan Hickman of the Indiana University College of Medicine, a nationally-recognized expert on advance care planning research. Dr. Hickman will respond to the recent JAMA article questioning the value of advance care planning.